Guangzhou (JLC), October 13, 2025--China's foreign trade grew 4.0% in the first nine months of the year with export strength accelerating, according to data from the General Administration of Customs (GACC).
In the first three quarters of the year, China's total goods import and export value was 33.61 trillion yuan (4.73 trillion US dollars). Exports climbed 7.1% to 19.95 trillion yuan while imports dipped 0.2% to 13.66 trillion yuan year-on-year, resulting in a trade surplus.
For September alone, total trade hit 4.04 trillion yuan, jumping 8.0% compared to the same period last year and the fastest monthly growth rate this year, the GACC statistics show.
Wang Jun, Vice Minister of the GACC, highlighted five key characteristics:
First, import and export growth accelerated quarter by quarter, from 1.3% in Q1 to 4.5% in Q2 and 6.0% in Q3, marking the eighth straight quarter of expansion.
Second, trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose 6.2% to 17.37 trillion yuan in the nine months, accounting for 51.7% of the total, an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Strong growth was recorded with ASEAN, Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia.
Third, the export mix continued to upgrade. Shipments of electromechanical products, which accounted for 60.5% of the total exports, grew 9.6% year-on-year. Exports of high-tech products saw particularly strong growth.
Fourth, imports showed signs of recovery after a period of weakness, returning to growth of 0.3% in the second quarter and accelerating to 4.7% in the third quarter. The volume of key commodity imports, including crude oil and metal ores, increased during this period.
Fifth, the number of active foreign trade firms grew to 700,000, with private enterprises leading the expansion and playing an increasingly vital role in the country's trade landscape.
Overall, in the first three quarters, China's foreign trade has demonstrated resilience, undergone structural optimization, and achieved improvements in both quantity and quality. Nevertheless, the external environment remains complex and severe, and stabilizing trade in the fourth quarter will still require arduous efforts, Wang added.
